Warren County School Board Ends ESS Substitute Contract

The Warren County School Board voted to end its contract with ESS and bring substitute teacher staffing back under the control of Warren County Public Schools, a move officials say could save the division roughly $220,000 a year.

The decision follows years of rising substitute costs and a 30.9 percent service markup charged by the outside staffing company. School officials say managing substitutes in-house will allow the division to reduce administrative costs while increasing daily pay for substitutes.

Rachel Drake, Director of Personnel for Warren County Public Schools, presents details about substitute staffing costs and the proposed transition away from the ESS contract during a Warren County School Board meeting.

According to Drake, the school division has consistently spent more on substitutes than originally budgeted. In fiscal year 2023–24, the division budgeted $728,000 but ultimately spent $989,000. The following year, $887,000 was budgeted, with $966,000 spent.

For the current fiscal year, the division budgeted $888,000, but spending is projected to reach about $1.3 million.

Part of that cost comes from the structure of the ESS contract. The company charges the division a 30.9 percent commission on each substitute placement, which Drake said has added more than $200,000 annually to the overall cost of substitute staffing.

By managing substitutes in-house, the school division expects to save roughly $220,000 per year, funds that could instead be used to increase substitute pay and support school operations.

“We would be bringing substitutes back in-house and eliminating the markup,” Drake told the board.

Under the proposed system, substitute staffing would be centrally managed by the Human Resources department rather than by individual schools. Drake said principals told her their primary concern is ensuring classroom coverage, not monitoring substitute budgets.

“They just need someone in the room,” she said.

Centralizing oversight would allow the division to track substitute use across all schools and shift funding from vacant positions to the substitute budget when needed.

Substitutes would become employees of the school division rather than workers supplied by ESS. Because they are currently employed by the company, substitutes working through ESS would need to apply through the school division’s hiring process to continue working in Warren County schools.

The division plans to begin recruiting immediately.

Drake said substitutes would receive onboarding and training similar to current procedures, and the division intends to offer higher daily pay rates made possible by eliminating the contractor markup. Substitutes would be paid twice per month, on the 15th and the last day of the month.

From a classroom perspective, Drake said teachers should see little change unless a substitute they regularly request decides not to apply with the school division.

ESS currently manages about 160 substitutes serving Warren County schools.

During the discussion, a teacher asked whether staff members who cover classes internally when substitutes are unavailable might receive increased compensation. Administrators said that the issue was outside the scope of the contract decision and had not been reviewed as part of the proposal.

Several board members said bringing the program in-house would ensure more education funding stays within the school system.

“When we are looking at finite dollars, I would choose to cut out a middleman and prioritize Warren County Public Schools employees,” said Board Member Melanie Salins.

The board ultimately voted to authorize the superintendent to discontinue and not renew the ESS substitute staffing contract and transition the program fully in-house as part of the FY27 operational plan.

School officials said hiring for substitute positions will begin immediately as the division prepares for the next school year.

Watch the Warren County School Board Meeting of March 4, 2026.